Queen of Hearts
by Synaps
Summary: A new year is starting at World Academy W. Seychelles finds herself sharing a room with Monaco, and may be developing stronger feelings for her. Meanwhile the Student Council tasks Seychelles with finding a Secret Poker Club, which is breaking the school rules. Little does she suspect that her new roommate is more involved in the club than anyone. AU. DISCONTINUED.
1. Falling (but Not in Love)

**Pairings:** Monaco/Seychelles, mentions of past Seborga/Monaco

* * *

**Queen of Hearts**

**Chapter 1 – Falling (but Not in Love)**

* * *

For Seychelles, the Academy in autumn was a bit_ too _cold a place. Strong gusts of wind cooled her face and tied knots in her hair. A few leaves danced across the street. It was the beginning of a new school year and the weather was doing everything in its power to remind people of that.

It was three weeks before the start of Seychelles's second year in the World Academy W and she had just jumped off the plane there. Still dragging her luggage behind her, she was tired. The flight from her home was a long one. All she wanted to do was get to her lovely, old, single room and rest a bit before dealing with the odd assortment of people which studied alongside her.

Unfortunately, that was not a wish that was about to be granted. Because, coming closer to the Southern Dormitories, Seychelles's vision was drawn to an enormous, orange poster.

"The Southern Dormitories have been closed due to water damage caused by flooding. Please contact the Head of Dorms before the beginning of the term... This is horrible!"

Seychelles dropped her duffel bag to the ground in defeat, as to be able to gesture violently at the air. What kind of idiot left the water running over the summer!?

Letting loose a small scream in frustration, Seychelles turned around and stormed towards the main building of the school. Slamming open any doors in her way, she made her way into the Student Council's room. There she stopped, catching her breath, as the sole inhabitant of the room raised his hand and waved at her distractedly.

"Good morning, Seychelles. Glad you decided to _finally_ show up at school. We have _a lot_ of things that needs to get done before the semester starts." England ranted hurriedly as he shifted through papers, not even noticing her stressed out condition. As the President of the School Council, no doubt had he already arrived weeks ago to set things up. He was the only member to actually do any work most of the time. "Did you know the Southern Dorms have been closed? Some leak or something. We need to fix a list of were people can stay when they change the floors and such."

"I_ know!_ I _live _in the Southern Dorms!"

That made England finally look up. "Seychelles, are you quite al-right? You seem... bothered."

England may be a downer at most times, and really bossy at others, and weird, but deep down he was a nice guy. It was buried very deep down, under layers and layers of... England being England. Still, he was Seychelles's friend, so when he pulled out a chair and tried acting like the gentleman he often pretended he was, she sat down with a small smile. Part of her was glad to be back.

"Because of the flooding I have nowhere to live now. I'll have to find someone to share a room with now, but I don't even _know _any girls in this school besides Hungary, and she already has a room mate." Seychelles managed to explain when she'd calmed down a bit. "_Are_ there even any other girls here?"

"I'm quite confident there are at least two more."

"Like that's any help. They're probably rooming with _each other_."

"I guess. You might have to find a room in town. Though that's a really long way to travel every morning." England had gained a thoughtful look. "Speaking of something completely different... If you just got here, and your room is closed off... Where did you put your luggage?"

Seychelles stood up, knocking down her chair in the process. "I left it by the dorm! I'll be right back!" She was throwing up the door and preparing to sprint towards the dorm as she bumped into someone, knocking them both to the ground.

"Sorry, I didn't see you there." She looked up to find France, vice-president of the Student Council.

"It's alright, ma chérie."

"So you finally bothered to show up, frog?" England questioned as he rose from his chair to help them both up. "We have a lot of work that needs to be done before school starts."

"I only came by to leave this at the lost-and-found box, Angleterre." France brushed off the Brit, smiling smoothly. He held up a gigantic turquoise duffel bag. "I found it outside, just abandoned in the street."

"That's my bag! Thanks."

"You really need to start looking after your things." England returned to his desk, stacking together his papers. "Anyway, we need to find possible lodging for almost half of the student body. A lot of them can bunk with people in the Northern Dorms, but those rooms are limited as well. Frog, go and find a list of people who have double rooms to themselves. Seychelles, you... you just try to find some-place to stay yourself, to begin with."

France looked up at that, shock glittering in his eyes in a most melodramatic way. "Ma chérie, you don't have anywhere to live?"

Seychelles simply shrugged. "I don't know any girls. You know, that I could bunk with."

"Why didn't you just say so? I have the answer to all your problems, chérie. I know every pretty girl in school. Naturally."

Seychelles felt herself relaxing, even though France was just showing off. "That's great!"

"Of course, it is _moi_. Now, to begin with I think we can ask my sister. She has a single room, but if every student from the Southern Dorms rooms in the Northern ones, doubles will fill up very quickly."

"You have a sister!?" Seychelles quickly closed her mouth, which had opened a bit too wide.

France huffed up his chest. "Why wouldn't I?"

"No reason. None at all."

"Well... Still, I'm _sure _Monaco wouldn't mind, if I asked her nicely."

"Thanks."

* * *

"No. Absolutely not."

France's sister was a very short girl_. Very short. _It was actually distracting. Even Seychelles towered over her. It almost made her forget why they were there to begin with.

"Why not?" France was acting as mediator, and was frankly doing the best he could. It just that his usual method of mediating was flirting... and she was his sister. He obviously didn't know how to handle such a situation. It was almost funny.

"I need to be able to focus on my studies. That's why I got a single to begin with. To avoid loud room mates. And besides..." for the first time in their conversation, Monaco turned directly towards Seychelles. "I don't know you. Sorry."

"So if you just get to know me, I can stay in your room? Great!"

Not paying attention to the other girl's protests, Seychelles grabbed her hand and pulled her along.

* * *

"And _this_ is my favourite café. They have tuna sandwiches. And hot chocolate. Hot chocolate is better than tea, no matter what England says."

They had found their way to Greensleeves, a coffee shop away from campus, where many students would spend time studying late at night as soon as finals drew near. Being a time even before school started, it was largely empty.

"I wonder if tuna-flavoured tea would work..."

Monaco made a face. Somehow she had ended up in very strange company. Seychelles seemed quite set on spending time together with her though, so there was little Monaco could do to nestle her way out of the situation.

"I'll go order for us." Monaco said instead, trying to both buy time and get a moment's breather. "Hot chocolate and a tuna sandwich, right? It's nearly lunch time."

"Yeah, thanks."

"Don't mention it."

Monaco got up. She'd get herself some coffee, she decided. She'd need some energy if she'd be able to make sure Seychelles understood that they wouldn't be sharing a room. To tell the truth, it was hard to do so. Seychelles seemed nice enough, but Monaco had practised her stern assertiveness with her brother. She could probably make it work against the dark skinned girl too.

Still, she needed to keep her resolve strong. She knew, at least, her poker face would hold. The rest was up to her.

When Monaco returned with beverages and sandwiches Seychelles rose and helped her put them town on their table.

It was a good a moment as any.

"Listen, Seychelles. I really don't want to share a room with _anybody. _It's... it's not you, it's me?"

Seychelles put her cup to her mouth as she thought about it.

"If it's really bothering you I'll find someone else, but let's be honest here... I'd like to room with you. I don't really know any other women here. Also, I think we're both gonna _have _to room with someone. Since there are so few rooms available. Wouldn't you rather room with me than some stranger?"

Monaco stopped herself from commenting on how the two of them basically _were_ strangers. The other arguments, however, were sound. She needed to find a way to counter-attack.

"Do you snore?"

Seychelles turned her head slightly to the side in thought.

"I wouldn't know. I sleep very heavily."

"How heavily?"

"Very! I totally could sleep through a seagull attack on my face while on the beach! And once, I fell asleep while I was singing!"

Monaco didn't really know what to say. Seychelles had all the good cards on hand. There was only one course of action, since bluffing hadn't worked; Folding and counting her losses.

"Fine then."

"What?"

"You can stay in my room. But _only_ until they've fixed up your dorm. Okay?"

"Really!? That's great! Thanks!"

Seychelles got up and flung herself on Monaco. The armchair Monaco was occupying wobbled unsteadily once, twice, and then fell backwards, causing both girls to end up in a pile on the floor.

Monaco hit the floor hard. The hurt faded quickly, though. Mostly she'd gotten the wind knocked out of her, not to mention having Seychelles land on top of her. Speaking of which, the other girl was still lying on top of Monaco. Their faces were mere inches away from each other. Monaco could feel herself blushing.

"I'm sorry! Are you alright?" Seychelles sat up, pulling herself off the shorter girl.

"I think so... Mostly, I guess."

"We're alright, everyone. Sorry about the commotion." Seychelles told the other occupants of the room and sheepishly put her hand behind her head.

Monaco removed her glasses and looked them over. They seemed fine.

Seychelles pulled herself up and immediately put out her hand for Monaco to grab on to.

Maybe Seychelles had underestimated her own strength, maybe Monaco was lighter than she appeared, but when she pulled her up, Seychelles ended up pulling Monaco very close.

Monaco blushed again. She stepped back, putting some space between them.

"Thank you."

"Sure. Hey, let's finish our lunch and then go unpack."

Monaco couldn't stop herself from smiling.

"Let's."

* * *

**Author's note: **This chapter is about four pages. What do you think about this length? Too long, too short or just right?

My spell-check thinks 'Greensleeves' should be 'Transylvania'. Wait, what? (Does that mean Romania is a regular customer there?)


	2. The Ninja Study Group

**Queen of Hearts**

**Chapter 2 – The Ninja Study Group**

* * *

The crudely put together stage wobbled slightly every time England moved.

"Please get in line. Girls to the left and boys to the right."

They had set up camp outside the Southern Dormitories. Along the wall they had put up lists of all available rooms, doubles and singles alike. Seychelles were helping the girls with the list of rooms occupied by other girls. It seemed like the women, at least, would be able to find living space.

France was having more trouble. The line of boys was seemingly never-ending and people were getting impatient.

"The repair work will take three months at most, they are replacing the floors on the entire first and second floors." England didn't even bat an eye as the irritated students glared at him in union. "Those who can't room with anyone will be able to camp in the classrooms. Sleeping bags can be found in these shops in town." He waved at yet another poster.

Seychelles pulled down her list. They had gotten all girls to room with each other, which left some old single rooms empty.

"I'm putting this list here too, Mr France."

"Thanks." Even through his exhaustion, France managed a smile. "You can probably take a break, we just need to maintain order. Everything else moves smoothly enough."

"Well, then. I'll be back in ten."

The last days of summer had passed much too quickly. In between moving and working with the Student Council to find rooms for everyone, Seychelles had found very little time to relax.

As she walked by the line of boys, a few whispers reached her ears. Something about a 'Secret Poker Club'. They quieted quickly, however, as people noticed a member of the Student Council being within earshot.

Seychelles made a point to not tell England about it. Because if a big group of people were breaking the school rules he'd want to investigate it. Her action proved in vain, however, as England was able to find out all on his own.

* * *

"We, the Student Council, need to investigate this!"

"Why? Let the kids have their fun, they aren't hurting anyone." France's somewhat snide tone left England fuming.

"We don't know that for sure! We don't know anything! Intelligence gathering is supposed to be our forte! And yet we only barely know about the Secret Poker Club!"

"It's supposed to be 'Secret', so there's no need to make a big deal out of it." Seychelles brushed it off. "You make it sound like we're some club of super-spies or something."

"Well, that's only because _we are_." England's expression was completely serious.

_'Huh!?'_

"You wouldn't know about this, because you only joined last year. The Student Council originated as a secret police."

"That's just too ominous!"

"The rules must be upheld. A prestigious school like the World Academy W cannot have the reputation of being the home of delinquents. That is why we were formed. We have drifted too far from our roots lately, but all that will change. _You_, Seychelles, will help me change it!"

Seychelles turned towards France. Surely he would be on her side, seeing as the other choice was _England._

France just smiled and shrugged. Apparently, he wasn't getting involved. Traitor.

"You will go undercover into this Poker Club, find the ones responsible, and bring them to justice!"

Seychelles crossed her arms. "No, I won't."

"But our proud heritage..."

"I'm thinking you just made that up."

England was pouting. "That's hardly relevant."

"Aha! So you _did _make it up!"

"Just most of it. One of the Student Council's mainjobs _is _spying. _Someone_ needs to find and stop the troublemakers, seeing as this school seems to attract them."

"I'm sure that I don't know what you mean."

"It's been like that since the start. Our founder, Germania, has made notes on how he started the Council in order to make it easier to keep a certain 'Rome' in check. Even though he ultimately failed..."

"At least _that's_ a tradition we're upholding."

"Seychelles!"

"What? It's true!"

France rose from his seat at last. "OK, OK. Both of you, it's time to calm down."

Somehow, he actually ended up being the voice of reason. It was a first, so neither England nor Seychelles really knew how to react. Therefore, they stopped arguing.

"While it's true that we're supposed to maintain order, I don't think our _little _Seychelles is ready for such a _big _mission just yet." France continued, placing his hand on England's shoulder.

"Now wait just a second!" Seychelles fumed. "I'm just as great a spy as any of you!"

"Chérie, both England and myself have experience in this area. To send someone without even the most basic training..."

"It's just a Poker Club! Consisting of people who are still in school! I could manage it, I just choose not to!" She glared daggers at both of them.

"Of course you could, I'm just saying it might be better if one of us..."

"There's no need. It's already been decided - it's my mission. Right, England?"

"... I guess?" England's eyebrows had raised so much they had practically retreated to somewhere above his hairline.

Seychelles looked at France, her eyes full of challenge. "There you have it. There's no reason for you two to get involved."

"I understand." France bowed his head slightly in defeat.

Seychelles nodded and strode off, closing the door behind her with a bang as she exited.

She made it all across the school before she realised she'd been tricked.

* * *

In the midst of Poker related troubles, classes started. This lead to other kinds of problems. Specifically, Math problems.

'_I could ask France' _thought Seychelles to herself._ 'But I'm quite sure I don't _want_ to. He can be such a gloater... Wait. Is that even a word? England, then? ...Nah, he's probably busy. He tends to be busy. So classmate, then? I could ask Cameroon, but I don't really talk to him that much.'_

Seychelles was walking slowly towards Greensleeves, thinking she'd at least be able to study with some hot coco by her side.

_'Maybe Monaco could help me. She's supposed to be an honour student, isn't she? But she was so worried about me being an annoyance to her when I was trying to move in... asking for help would only prove her initial thought right.'_

The two of them hadn't really spent much time together. Seychelles had been busy with the Student Council and Monaco had been nowhere to be found the rest of the time.

Somehow, it made Seychelles a bit sad. She had thought she'd gained a new friend in the other girl.

That was the _only _reason why, when she entered the café and saw Monaco sitting there with some guy, Seychelles felt a twinge of jealousy.

_'Is it a date!? Is he her boyfriend!? Come to think of it, I don't really know if she _has _a guy or not. But I guess someone as pretty as Monaco is bound to have one...'_

Seychelles quickly decided that she didn't want to face the two of them. It wouldn't be prudent to interrupt their date, after all.

Turning in the door seemed a bit rude, but it was fine as long as she wasn't noticed.

"Ah, Seychelles. Hello."

_'AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!'_

Having been distracted by her own thoughts, Seychelles hadn't noticed the other girl walking up to her.

_'What is she, some kind of ninja?'_

"Hello, M-Monaco. I didn't see you there... Hehe."

_'Is this bad karma for being rude? It is, isn't it!?'_

"I'm just meeting my study group. Well, I say 'group', but we're not that many." Monaco smiled sweetly, tilting her head slightly.

"I see."

_'So he's not her boyfriend then? Well, he could still be.'_

"Come, I'll introduce you to everyone."

Seychelles found herself being dragged towards the table. It was as if an invisible force was making her follow Monaco.

The small table was surrounded by three large arm chairs. Text books and notes lay about in a messy manner.

Monaco made a gesture to a blonde boy who was sitting next to her empty chair. "This is..."

"I know, America. Right? You stop by the Student Council to bug England all the time."

"I'm Canada!"

Monaco pressed her glasses to her face, hiding her small smile behind her hand. "He's America's twin brother. France introduced us some time ago."

"Oh, I see. I'm sorry!"

"And this is Seborga."

The brown haired boy smiled at Seychelles and winked. "Hello, beautiful." He looked like he was about to continue his somewhat obvious flirting when Monaco drove her elbow into his side. Hard.

_'It's not a date if there's three of them.' _Seychelles smiled to herself, somehow missing a small exchange of angry looks. Though she wasn't really sure why she cared.

"Hi. I'm Seychelles. It's nice to meet you."

"Seychelles will be joining us." Monaco said it like it was the most natural thing in the world. Like that was the reason she had brought Seychelles over to the table to begin with.

"What!?"

"My brother told me you had some trouble with school work and asked me to take care of you. It would be a bother for the Student Council if you weren't able to perform your duties."

"France did?"

_'Does he have to go around and tell people about my bad grades?' _Seychelles sighed.

"He's such a troublesome person." Monaco nodded and put her fingers to her forehead in irritation. Even so, she was smiling.

Seychelles found the smile infectious.

"Thank you! I'll work hard to not be a bother to you."

"Thank France, not me."

* * *

Monaco gathered her books. Things had gone quite well, considering.

Seychelles had already packed up and gone outside to say goodbye to the boys, giving Monaco some well needed time to herself.

It wasn't that she disliked people, most of the time. It just took a lot of energy to hang around such upbeat people, as the ones Monaco knew. She was spent, and going back to her room to sleep would be a welcome change.

She closed her eyes and breathed out slowly. It had been a good day.

The last of her notes found their way into her bag and Monaco went outside and joined the others.

The four of them started walking back to the dorm, making no haste and mostly just winding down.

"This was nice." Seychelles stated it with a small smile on her face.

Monaco glanced at the other girl for a moment, then looked away to hide the blush on her face.

"Yes. It was."

If she was to be honest, she hadn't been mentally prepared to study with Seychelles that day. France had brought up the idea and Monaco had agreed, but Seychelles appearing at the coffee house when she did was a surprise. Monaco had acted without thinking and brought Seychelles to the table, but she had been nervous the whole time. Especially when Seborga began to ruin things and-

It was a good thing her poker face was so good, because she was without a doubt falling for the other girl.

Not that such a thing was generally frowned upon. More than half the student body was probably queer.

It was more like... she wasn't sure of what to say. If Seychelles was turned off by Monaco's advances, would she be able to get a new room? Monaco didn't want to put the other girl in a bad situation.

Seborga and Canada were a few steps ahead of the two girls.

Seychelles hooked arms with her and Monaco felt her cheeks heating again. "How do you know them?" The black haired girl looked pointedly at the boys in front of them.

"Canada is a friend of France's."

A spark danced in Seychelles eyes. "Friend or _friend_?"

Monaco swatted Seychelles' arm and smiled. "Just friends... I think."

"And Seborga?"

"We used to date."

"_Used _to?"

Was there a glimmer of hope in those brown eyes, or was it merely the interest in gossip? Monaco wasn't sure.

"We only went on one date. He wasn't what I was looking for."

Was that exhale a sigh of relief, or just a sign of exhaustion after a long day's work and a fast walk?

Monaco was proud of her ability to read people, but in this case she was probably was just telling herself things.

* * *

**Author's note: **Fun fact; Originally I was planning on making this a drama/romance fic. All the chapters had _a lot_ more serious names. There was supposed to be _angst._ (There might still be some remnants of that left, especially in Monaco's POVs.) On the other hand... I, myself, prefer my more comedic works. So this is turning out comedy/fluff.


	3. The Not Very Great Detective

**Queen of Hearts**

**Chapter 3 – The Not Very Great Detective**

* * *

Monaco knocked neatly on the bathroom door. As small as her and Seychelles' shared room was, at least they didn't share a bath with the rest of the corridor.

"I'll be going now, don't forget to come to the study group after school."

When no reply came, Monaco grew a bit worried. She had noticed during their weeks together that her room mate was a bit ditzy, and could fall asleep at the drop of a hat. Not to mention that they had been out rather late the previous night. Monaco's cheeks burned at the thought of how she'd acted. Openly flirting like that, she hadn't behaved _at all_ like she'd planned to around the other woman. Something about Seychelles broke down Monaco's carefully constructed mental image. It made her forget who she was supposed to be, whether as the honour student or as the leader of a secret club.

Monaco shook her head violently.

Still, there was the matter of the non-responsive Seychelles.

Telling herself that she was only checking to see that the other girl was still alive and well, Monaco knocked louder.

"Seychelles, are you alright? I'm coming in."

As Monaco opened the door, she was listening intently for a reply. She _really_ didn't want to intrude, but...

The door slid open and Monaco stepped forward. The bathroom was had left the shower running.

Monaco exhaled with a puff, letting her shoulders fall back. She turned off the water and pulled out the plug, not caring that the sleeve of her school uniform got slightly wet.

A nagging thought entered Monaco's mind. _'If I hadn't checked it would have overflown. Did Seychelles cause the water damage in the other dorms?'_

Deciding to keep her discovery secret, as small smile made its way to her lips. Seychelles _really _was scatter-brained.

* * *

The sun was shining brightly, only obstructed by clouds every once in a while. It was promising to be a nice, warm day. A swift movement closed the drapes. Another upturned the table lamb to shine directly into America's face.

"Tell me everything you know about the Secret Poker Club," demanded Seychelles.

"What makes you think I know _anything_ about it?" America smiled a movie star smile. He even winked.

The two of them were in an otherwise empty group room. America sat by one of the tables, while Seychelles was pacing back and forth.

"Because when I tried asking Italy about it he said 'I'm sorry, Seychie. I can't tell you. It's both the first _and_ the second rule.' The only one who would include such a reference is you!"

"Ah, busted!" America laughed.

"You're the mastermind behind it all!" Seychelles pointed her finger at America, eyes burning.

"No, not really."

"What?" It was as if the air had been let out of her. Seychelles dropped into a chair.

America sighed. "Listen, I don't really see a problem with telling you. It's just a poker club. That is secret."

"Are you gambling with real money?"

"Well... yes?"

"That's against the school rules."

America smiled again. "Which is why it's _secret._" He paused. It was the kind of pause employed by someone who watched too many detective dramas. It was very effective, if a bit too orchestrated. "Maybe I shouldn't be telling you this. Still, it's not like you can really do anything about it."

"And why is that?"

"Because it's a _masked _club."

"A masked secret poker club?"

America started gesturing with his hands as he talked. "Everybody wears a mask and is only referred to by an alias and stuff! It's awesome!"

"So you don't know who anyone is? Not even the leader?"

"Nope" America was looking unnecessarily pleased with the situation. "Even if you keep interrogating me, which is totally cool by the way, I won't be able to tell you. All I know about him is that he's called Ace."

"I see. That _is_ a problem," mused Seychelles. "Well then, I guess there's no choice. I'll just have to drop the investigation." She glanced America's way, to make sure he'd heard her.

As expected, look of relief passed over his face. He shut off the lamp and got to his feet. "See ya around then, Seychelles."

He left the room hurriedly, as if afraid she would change her mind if he stuck around too long.

"_See you around_."

Seychelles was just barely able to stop herself from laughing maniacally.

* * *

The rest of the day Seychelles felt like electricity was running through her body. Her very being was simmering with energy. She wanted to find the poker club _now_, or really just _do something._

Going to the study group felt like she was being held back from her preparations.

It was hard to concentrate on medieval customs when her mind was racing. None of the others seemed to have any trouble focusing. Canada and Seborga were sharing a text book back and forth, something they had borrowed in the school library. Monaco was very intently writing a paper.

Of course, going to the study group meant she got see Monaco, which got her heart to beat faster for a completely different reason. Still, that only made it harder to focus.

Their small group were once more at Greensleeves. They had occupied a table in the back and bought just enough coffee that it wasn't rude. Seychelles had gone for decaf. While she kind of wanted to buy a cupcake, she knew she couldn't take a sugar rush on top of everything.

Seychelles looked down on the colourful renderings of a 15th century painting to see if she could distract herself from her plans. It depicted a knight on horse, all bright colours, and a lady handing him a red ribbon.

"Hey, Monaco." Seychelles nudged her friend in the side. "What's up with the ribbon?"

Monaco only just glanced at the image before returning to her writing. "The lady's favour, it means she hopes he wins the tournament. It's really just a token of affection."

"So it's a confession?"

"Kind off, I guess."

Seychelles looked closer at the image. There was something about the lady, perhaps it was her proud femininity, which really reminded her of Monaco. A small part of her imagined herself as a knight, shining armour and all, about to go off and fight a dragon... A dragon which wore a mask and threw poker cards at her.

She shook herself and closed her book. "Sorry, I've got to go. I have some stuff to do and this isn't getting anywhere."

Monaco's eyebrow rose. "Don't blame me if you fail history."

"I won't."

"You won't fail or you won't blame me?"

* * *

The sun had set, and Monaco had gone to bed. Since Seychelles slept on a mattress on the floor, escaping the room unnoticed was no huge difficulty. She simply wrapped some clothes up into a bundle and made it seem like she had crawled so far under the covers that her head wasn't visible.

Seychelles had spent much of her day on finding a suitable mask. Mostly because it was fun. Eventually she'd found a white mask with a small red heart in an off-campus shop and decided that since hearts where a suit, it worked out well enough. She wore a black dress with it and wouldn't be hard-pressed to admit that she thought she looked rather nice in it.

She wasn't planning on entering the poker club just yet, but if opportunity struck she wanted to be prepared. For tonight the agenda only included following America to the location, as well as spying on the people coming and going.

She would expose the club in due time.

Still, you never knew. It was always better to be prepared.

Seychelles had hidden in the bushes outside of America's dorms. It was a nice, thick foliage which hid her completely from view without poking her unnecessarily with a bunch of sticks.

In fact, it was so comfortable that Seychelles fell asleep.

* * *

Monaco walked around the sleeping bag, careful not to step on her room mate. Really, it was a hassle to have to hide her nightly excursions in such a way. Still, it couldn't be helped. It was a good thing Seychelles was such a deep sleeper.

Well, no need to think about that. It was time to get into character.

Monaco started switching clothes.

Platform shoes hid her very distinctive shortness. The shoes themselves were hidden by long pants. Her hair was braided and stuffed under a short wig.

Monaco was a petite woman with a ladylike demeanour. Ace was a confident man, with the charming mannerisms of a complete scoundrel.

Nobody would suspect they were one and the same.

* * *

Seychelles woke with a start, unable to realise where she was and why.

She was cold and somewhat sore, like she'd been sleeping outside in a bad position. That was something Seychelles had done a couple of times before, so it helped to calm her racing heart.

She stretched and stood up, discovering that she'd been in the bushes outside the Northern Dormitories. This discovery helped her remember what she was doing.

There was no guarantee that America hadn't passed right by her when she was asleep. He could be at the club already. While she _could _go to his room and check, finding it empty wouldn't prove anything more than that he was out at night. While that was against school rules, it wasn't something she didn't already know he was doing. As far as information gathering went, it was virtually pointless.

The sensible thing to do was go back to her room and try again tomorrow.

Seychelles was rarely sensible, but she figured she would give it her best go. Just this once.

As such, Seychelles brushed herself off and left the shrubbery behind.

She went inside, stopping right inside to let the warmth of the building seep through her cold bones. It felt good.

However, hearing footsteps echoing from the stairs in front of her brought a wave of panic which diminished any good feelings. She wasn't supposed to be out of her room at night.

Seychelles frantically searched for cover, found it in the form a couch and hid.

The steps were getting louder.

This was when Seychelles realised that whomever was taking those steps probably shouldn't be out either. The steps seemed too light, somehow, to be caused by a teacher.

_'Maybe it's somebody who's going to the poker club!' _The thought had an irresistible allure. If that was the case, all of Seychelles's hard work wouldn't be for naught.

Seychelles crept further into the shadows and peeked out to look at the staircase.

She wasn't very surprised when the person who was walking down them wore a beautifully decorated domino mask.

Seychelles followed him into the night.


	4. Gone Clubbing

**Queen of Hearts**

**Chapter 4 – Gone Clubbing**

* * *

The Secret Poker Club wasn't so secret anymore.

Seychelles smirked to herself as she watched the entrance. She had followed the guy she'd seen in the Northern Dormitories all across campus, until she into she had found herself in a secluded garden.

In the spring, the scent of lilacs would have hung in the air. The garden was maintained by the Gardening Club, something which was obvious from the overuse of tulips. As it was autumn, the garden wasn't in its prime. Even during the day it was mostly shades of brown. Still, Seychelles could appreciate their efforts. A couple of maples framed the sky with branches and dropped colourful leaves onto the scene.

A single lamp illuminated the distant door which the masked man had passed through.

Seychelles had kept her distance and waited a bit, but she was now sure that the door lead to the meeting place of the Poker Club. If only because a few others had entered afterwards, all wearing masks.

Seychelles rocked on her heels, unsure of herself. Although she had only gone out to find where the club was, Seychelles really wanted to go in there and get her "arrest" over with. For all she knew, they changed location every time.

She put on her mask. "I didn't get this far to just turn around." Seychelles realised that muttering to herself might not be exactly healthy, but as long as no-one was around to hear her she felt free to indulge in the habit. It _did _help her put her thought in order.

"Did you forget the password?"

She turned around, shocked and a little bit irritated that people kept sneaking up on her.

A very smart suit greeted her. It was the kind of suit that people didn't wear in _real life_, something that was supposed to be restricted to high fashion magazines and celebrities on dinners with royalty.

In short, it looked expensive.

Seychelles forced her gaze away from the silk tie, she hadn't known about her fascination with suits before, and looked at the guy wearing it. Although his face was hidden behind a mask, he was still able to convey a helpful smile.

A single brown curl hung in front of his face and identified him as Italy.

Realising that Italy was waiting for an answer, Seychelles nodded.

"I used to forget the password all the time, and other stuff too, but then Germany told me to start writing them down before I forgot and now I always know what I've forgotten because it's really good advice."

Seychelles did her best to not be overwhelmed of the onslaught of conversation. She nodded again and wondered if this was how _she_ appeared to other people.

"I'll try that sometime."

"You should." Italy searched his every pocked and eventually produced a small notebook. He flipped through it quickly. "The password is 'poker face'."

"Thank you."

* * *

The Secret, but not really _secret_, Poker Club looked like a high-class casino. Or at least how Seychelles pictured high-class casinos after watching James Bond movies.

She was unsure of whether England would count that as a point _in_ their favour.

Despite this, the room wasn't _that_ big. A group of twenty made it feel crowded

There were a few tables through-out, stuffed with people and cards.

Seychelles was feeling slightly misplaced. She had finally found the club, but now she didn't know what to do. The one thing she still needed... was the leader. The decision was path was suddenly in her mind. If she could find this Ace character, and unmask him, her job would be done.

* * *

Monaco hid her hand, keeping the smirk from her face. She would win this round.

She was playing with her usual group. Only the best players in the club ever had the honour of facing her. Monaco knew she was good, and she wasn't there for easy money. The thrill of a close game was what drew her in.

Keeping her face carefully blank, Monaco gazed out at the rest of the room while she waited for the others to decide their moves.

Her heart nearly stopped when she spotted Seychelles in the crowd.

Monaco recognized her immediately. Mask aside, there weren't exactly many women of colour in the Academy.

Of course, there was also that whole _'in love with her'_ thing that Monaco had going on.

Her heart was racing. Why was Seychelles here? People where only supposed to be able to enter on Monaco's personal invitation. Was it a Student Council thing? Where they planning on shutting her club down? Monaco couldn't allow that. She would need to distract Seychelles somehow... Buy them enough time to move the poker club again.

_'Calm down,' _Monaco told herself. _'You are Ace. The dashing poker genius. Yes. Dashing, roguish, suave. What would Ace do?'_

When the answer came to her her cheeks started to redden. Ace would seduce Seychelles.

_'OK... So what would _Monaco _do?'_

She wasn't quite sure. Nothing that came to mind would actually solve the situation. It didn't help that she kind of _wanted_ to seduce the other girl. Ace would be able to express his feelings, without worrying about any repercussions. Even if Seychelles turned down Ace, she could still remain friends with Monaco. Even if Seychelles fell in love with Ace...

Monaco was nursing a full blush, and started to feel ashamed about it. Her poker face was usually perfect.

Besides, did she even know _how_ to seduce someone? Could she just act like her brother and expect that to work?

No, she wouldn't go that far. France's behaviour flipped from charming to creepy way too fast.

So what _would _she do?

Seychelles was beginning to question her decision to infiltrate the poker club. There were too many people on not enough space.

She stuck close to the walls, trying to make herself smaller.

Really, all that she _needed_ was the location of the Club. She could send the rest of the Student Council to bust the place any time. Now that she'd been inside and checked it out, and seen them break school rules...

Seychelles had almost decided to leave when a guy walked up to her.

"Hello" he leaned towards her to be heard over the multitude of voices in the room.

"Ah, erm, hi?"

"You're new here."

It wasn't a question, but Seychelles offered a hesitant nod anyway.

"Then I shall introduce myself. I am Ace," a quick bow was accompanied by overly much flourish.

Seychelles rolled her eyes. "I'm Sey-"

"No, no, no, no, no." For the first time since their meeting Ace showed some actual emotion. "You need a codename. It's how we run things here... Hrm, the Queen of my Heart"

Seychelles laughed lightly. Somewhere along the line Ace had flipped from "trying too hard to be charming" into "purposely trying to hard in order to be funny." She found she enjoyed his company much better this way.

"Let's just start over from the beginning, shall we?"

"Oh, yes."

"I'm the Queen of Hearts, and I'm here to chop everyone's head off."

Ace laughed, but Seychelles felt a bit guilty about the joke. It was a bit too close to her true purpose.

"And I'm Ace, the founder of this little club."

"A pleasure."

"Do you want to play a game?"

"Ah, I don't..." Seychelles stopped herself. She could hardly tell him that she couldn't play... Because then he would ask what she was _really _doing in the Poker Club... Her mind was racing, what should she say? "I don't have any money on me. I forgot my wallet in my room."

"It's fine." Ace smiled at her, and it was as if the whole world stopped moving. "We don't _only _play for money here, you know?"

"You don't?"

"Nah. I don't even know how that started."

The two of them somehow ended up with a table on their own. Seychelles had no doubt that Ace had somehow signalled to the others that they wanted to be alone.

"You should..." Seychelles cleared her throat. "You should probably stop playing for money. You'll get in trouble with the Student Council."

Ace shrugged nonchalantly, leaning back in his chair. "I'm not sure I could, even if I tried. Breaking the rules seems to be a big reason why many of the people here wanted to join to begin with. There's a certain allure to it, I think."

Seychelles decided to not comment on that.

The two of them played a couple of rounds, with Monaco winning easily. Not that she expected anything else. However, she couldn't allow herself time to enjoy the night. She needed to get Seychelles out of there.

"Want to get some air?"

Seychelles smiled. "Yeah, sure. I was thinking of calling it a night."

Monaco felt herself relaxing. The way Seychelles said it made it sound like the Student Council wouldn't strike that night. Still, better safe than sorry. Monaco quickly found America on the other side of the room and gave him The Signal.

The Signal was America's idea, and he had been very hung up on it. It simply meant "we might have been found, evacuate quickly and quietly"

America nodded, looking over at Seychelles with a questioning look on his face. Monaco nodded.

Somehow, it seemed like America had forgotten all about the "don't panic" part of The Signal, because chaos erupted.

Monaco quickly pulled Seychelles to the side, as a stampede started to leave the room, overturning chairs and scattering cards everywhere. The normal background noise had been multiplied with outcries of "run" and "move it".

Monaco's breath came quickly and her pulse was racing, but she kept herself from panicking. It was ridiculous.

Seychelles hugged close to her, head against Monaco's chest and eyes wide.

"I'm sorry. This doesn't usually happen" joked Monaco, trying to calm both of them down.

The crowd pressed against them and then ebbed away.

The room was a down-right mess, but Monaco pulled her gaze away from it to look at her companion.

"Are you okay?" Seychelles had a worried expression.

Monaco smiled. "I was just going to ask you the same thing."

"I'm _just fine_." Seychelles sounded petulant.

Seychelles didn't look _just fine. _Her hair was in disarray, one ribbon lost to the crowd. Her eyes held a sort of rebellious fire, like she wondered how anyone would _dare _hurt her.

Monaco removed the bow from her neck and tied Seychelles' hair up with it, pausing to give her a quick peck on the forehead. "I'm glad."

* * *

**Author's Note: **The Gardening Club is made up of Netherlands, Turkey and Thailand. Every time they vote on which flowers to use Thailand is stuck in a 2 vs 1 situation against the tulip lovers.

This chapter was hard to write, for some reason. I kept getting stuck at parts. Now that it's over with I expect to publish the new chapters soonish. I'm planning for this fic to have six chapters, so we're past the half-way mark.


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